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| Alphadi flanked by models. (Photo: UNESCO/P.Chiang-Joo) |
The acclaimed African fashion designer Sidahmed Alphadi Seidnaly, or Alphadi, was designated
a UNESCO Artist for Peace on Jan. 25, in a ceremony at the Paris headquarters of
the United Nation’s cultural agency.
UNESCO's director-general, Irina Bokova, said the honour was in recognition of Alphadi’s
“commitment to culture and development at the service of peace, respect and
human dignity, and for his contribution to the promotion of tolerance”.
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| Alphadi and UNESCO's Director General Irina Bokova. (Photo courtesy of UNESCO/P.Chiang-Joo) |
Alphadi’s
work has had a huge impact on many designers of African origin, in France and elsewhere. The Paris-based stylist Vanessa Augris told SWAN that he has been an inspiration to her and
a generation of other fashion creators.
“He is one of the most important African
designers,” she said. “And his work has really helped to advance the
appreciation of African fashion.”
Alphadi was born
in Timbuktu, Mali, in 1957, and grew up in Niger. He studied in France and is a
graduate of the Atelier Chardon Savard school of fashion and design, located in
Paris. Admirers describe him as the “magician of the desert”, and he has been
recognized by other internationally known designers such as Takada Kenzo, Paco
Rabanne and the late Yves Saint Laurent.
One of his
major accomplishments is the creation of the International Festival of African
Fashion (FIMA), which he launched in 1998 in Niger’s Tiguidit area of the
Sahara desert, under the auspices of UNESCO.
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| One of Alphadi's designs shown at UNESCO |
The Festival has since become a
place of “exchange and dialogue between cultures from all over the world”,
according to the UN agency.
As a UNESCO
Artist for Peace, Alphadi will work to transform FIMA into an itinerant event
so that the next editions may take place in other African countries, notably
Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, UNESCO said. The designer intends to develop the festival’s
educational function as well.
He has
already created the Alphadi Foundation, which works to improve the lives of
women and children in the Sahara and helps create and develop employment in the
region, UNESCO added.
In a speech at his
designation ceremony, Alphadi deplored the rise of intolerance and said he
would work to boost peace, culture and development.
“We need to
create a world of love and lasting peace,” he said. “I will use all my energies
to build peace through fashion and the arts.”
He then
presented a runway show that highlighted the designs for which he has become known: modern garments
that combine striking colour, glamour and traditional influences.
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| A model shows off Alphadi's creativity. (Photo: UNESCO/P Chiang-Joo) |
